Freedom Fundraising Blog

Burrrrr, it is getting cold outside! Gone are the summer months of fundraising outdoors at little league games, school events and otherwise warm activities. With winter temperatures fast approaching (if not already in your area), some of your fundraising strategies may need adjusting.

With more activities moving indoors, and holiday events approaching, using these as a launch point for your fundraiser will ensure you have access to a steady stream of customers. Schools, churches and other community halls often host craft fairs in November and December. Contacting event coordinators to see if you can setup a table near the entrance is a great way to gain lots of potential customers.

These same organizations may also be hosting holiday movie nights or recitals. Tables in the front or lobby area with chocolate bars, lollipops or cases like our Candy Variety #1 offer great snack options with minimal packaging disturbance if patrons can eat during the shows. If the food is not allowed during the movie/play/recital/or such, see if you are still able to set up prior to the show. You could also set up during intermission as a break time treat. You can also use product fundraisers as a break from traditional candy fundraising. Items like our Donation Dots® are quick and simple, requiring people only to donate. While other fundraisers like our key chains and flashlights offer great small gifts or stocking stuffers.

If you have access to the facilities to host your own event, such as a trivia night, then the sky is the limit to what you can do. While planning is key in any event, starting early and getting the word out to attract patrons is crucial. Have your group or students make flyers and posters to hang up at local businesses and high foot traffic areas.

The more frigid temps are also a sign of winter break approaching. If you are still looking to meet an end of year goal, there is still plenty of time left. Most orders ship from our warehouse fast and get to you quickly so you can start selling and bring in that profit.

If you are in charge of a school fundraiser or are considering starting one, then you've come to the right place! We are constantly looking for ways to make fundraising faster, easier and more successful for you. Two things key to a successful school fundraiser is exposure for selling to a wide audience and organization with your group.

ORGANIZATION
When you are planning on starting a fundraiser, think about everyone who will be playing a role. No matter your goal, group size or goal range, chances are there will be several people involved which can include your student sellers, their parents and possibly volunteers. Sending home letters with students to their parents to notify them of this upcoming event is a great heads up, especially since parents may need to help with product pick up. Including fundraising start date, end/money due date and what the fundraiser is for can be helpful information. You can download and fill in/print this fundraising notification sheet to hand out to students or use it as a guide to creating your own.

Something else to consider is if you will need volunteers. If your group is setting up a table outside of a business or event then, you may want to have a sign up sheet. Students/parents can select days and times they will be there to staff it.

If you are doing a brochure fundraiser where you will have the product delivered to you, it will need to be distributed to your students. It is a good idea to send out parental notifications of when and where item pickup will be. You can download our pick-up notification here.

PROMOTION
Promoting and getting in front of as many people as possible can only help your fundraiser. If you are set up at an event, make signs for your table that say your group's name and the purpose of your fundraiser. Signs should be large and easy to read from a distance. You can also print or make flyers to hang up around town or at local businesses to promote your fundraiser. Be sure to include: who the fundraiser is for, date/time/location of your school fundraiser.

Having visible pricing is helpful in attracting people over and making quick sales, especially if there are many people around. You can download and print our $1 and $2 fundraising signs here that you can fill out and attach to your table or to the inside lid of the fundraising boxes. These signs would be great to hand out with fundraising boxes of candy and snacks. They can be adhered to the outside of the box if students will be walking around with them. Attach them to the inside lid if they will be propped open at an event or if a parent takes them to work.

Fundraising is not all about candy and snacks. At Freedom Fundraising, we want to offer you a plethora of fundraising products to choose from because we know that each group has their needs and ideas on what their fundraiser should be. As part of this we like to offer premium fundraisers that come in the form of two brochures, Celestial Candles and Excite Your Snacktime.

Brochure Benefits
One of the best features about fundraising with brochures is apparent right from the start: brochures are completely FREE to get started. You can call or go on our website and order as few or as many brochures for your group as you need. We have no minimum order on any of our fundraising products, including our brochures. Once your group receives the brochures, start selling!

Products
Both of our brochures contain premium products in two different fundraising categories. Celestial Candles has a variety of hand poured candles in fall scents as well as sand diffusers, wooden wick candles and a ceramic wall warmer with wax melts. Excite Your Snacktime contains a large selection of snack-time favorites including gummies, popcorn mixes, nuts and of course chocolates. All items in each brochure sell at 50% profit to you.

Making Sales
When an individual makes a sale, they can fill in the customer's information on the backside of the brochure on the order form. We recommend that sellers collect money up front for all orders. By doing so, this will ensure that customers will not forget about their order or change their mind upon delivery, leaving you with unsold product. If you choose to collect money at the time of delivery, be sure to inform customers of the impending delivery date (which we discuss further down in this article).

Orders
Once your group has collected all of their orders, you place your total order with us by calling 1-800-500-2500 or faxing it to us at 1-866-400-0784. When your order is delivered to you, be sure to schedule some time to sort out product to each seller. If you will need assistance with this portion, place a sign up sheet for your group and/or group parents to come and help sort as well as pick up their product. Sending out notifications on when parents can pick up their orders can also be helpful as your sellers may not be able to carry or handle all the items at once.

We also recommend that sellers notify their customers of when they will drop off their orders, especially if money is still owed.

For both brochures, the deadline for Christmas orders is Friday, November 21, 2014. The brochure sales end of year deadline is April 4, 2015 for the Excite Your Snacktime and August 1, 2015 for Celestial Candles.

Getting Started
If you have additional questions regarding either of our brochures or would like to get started today, call us at 1-800-500-2500. You can also view both brochures on our website Celestial Candle or Excite Your Snacktime.